Convert videos between formats with uConverter

Converting video clips to play on smartphones and other devices is big these days, and users have a lot of choices, both freeware and shareware, offering lots of different features and performance. Run Studio's uConverter can convert files among many different video formats. Its Task-based setup lets you customize each video's properties for your specific device or need. It's free to try, but the trial version leaves a watermark on saved files. The latest version of uConverter is compatible with Windows 8.

Video converters tend to have similar layouts and functionality since they're very specific tools, so they need an angle to stand out. For uConverter, it's the Task Properties page, which lets you customize each conversion or simply choose a device from a long list of options. We clicked the green Add button and browsed to a Flash video saved from YouTube. Selecting the file in uConverter's file browser opened the Task Properties page. We clicked the drop-down Convert list and selected Mobile Phone HD MP4, and then selected the highest quality level. That's not all, though, since uConverter also provided expanding menus of Audio, Video, and Advanced options that let us fine-tune nearly every significant parameter, everything from brightness and frame rate to channels and bit rate.

We made our selections and clicked OK, and our file appeared in uConverter's queue. We merely had to select our videos from the list, choose an output folder, and press Start to initiate the conversion, which uConverter tracked as Percent and Time Left display in the queue. Conversion time seemed about average, though of course your system's hardware will determine how quickly uConverter can do its job. We transferred our finished file to our phone and watched it -- job well done.

In addition to converting, uConverter also splits and merges files. While we found uConverter easy to use and an adequate performer, it faces stiff competition from freeware utilities of its type, some of which offer similar features to uConverter. It's free to try and not expensive to buy, so if you're interested in uConverter, we recommend trying it for yourself.

Editors' note: This is a review of the full version of uConverter 1.24. The trial version has watermark on output.